Can laboratory test-based frailty indices contribute to frailty screening in emergency departments?

Background Laboratory-based frailty indices (FI-Labs) offer potential adjuncts and alternatives to clinical assessments. Still, their optimal configuration and construct validity compared with nurse-assessed Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) scores remain unclear. Methods In this retrospective cohort stu...

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Publicado en:Age & Ageing Vol. 54; no. 7; pp. 1 - 12
Autores principales: Ellis, Hugh Logan, Dunnell, Liam, Whitney, Julie, Jennings, Cara, Wilson, Dan, Tippett, Jane, Teo, James, Ibrahim, Zina, Rockwood, Kenneth
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jul2025
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      pub: Oxford University Press / USA
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        atl: Can laboratory test-based frailty indices contribute to frailty screening in emergency departments?
      aug:
        au:
          Ellis, Hugh Logan
          Dunnell, Liam
          Whitney, Julie
          Jennings, Cara
          Wilson, Dan
          Tippett, Jane
          Teo, James
          Ibrahim, Zina
          Rockwood, Kenneth
        affil:
          Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, Memory Lane, Southwark, London SE5 8AF, UK
          Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Suite 1421-5955 Veterans' Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
          University Hospital Lewisham, Lewisham, London, UK
          School of Life Course & Population Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
          Emergency Department, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
          Department of Clinical Gerontology, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
          Neurology Department, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
          Department of Biostatistics & Health Informatics, King's College London, London, UK
      su:
        Retrospective studies
        Medical screening
        Reference values
        Frail elderly
        Laboratories
        Hospital emergency services
        Descriptive statistics
        Longitudinal method
        Data analysis software
        Confidence intervals
        Proportional hazards models
      sug:
        subj:
          Retrospective studies
          Medical screening
          Testing Laboratories
          Medical Laboratories
          Veterinary Services
          All Other Miscellaneous Ambulatory Health Care Services
          Reference values
          Frail elderly
          Laboratories
          Hospital emergency services
          Descriptive statistics
          Longitudinal method
          Data analysis software
          Confidence intervals
          Proportional hazards models
      keyword:
        clinical frailty scale
        emergency department
        frailty screening
        laboratory-based frailty index
        older people
        reliability
        clinical frailty scale
        emergency department
        frailty screening
        laboratory-based frailty index
        older people
        reliability
      ab: Background Laboratory-based frailty indices (FI-Labs) offer potential adjuncts and alternatives to clinical assessments. Still, their optimal configuration and construct validity compared with nurse-assessed Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) scores remain unclear. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated five FI-Lab configurations against nurse-assessed CFS scores using data from 74 493 emergency department visits. We examined their association with clinical outcomes and assessed measurement reliability using mixed effects models. Results While nurse assessments demonstrated superior outcome discrimination (c-statistic 0.726 for 90-day mortality versus 0.718 for best FI-Lab), automated FI-Lab measures showed significantly greater between-visit reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.51–0.76 versus 0.37 for nurse CFS]. The drug-adjusted FI-Lab demonstrated highest reliability (ICC = 0.76) but weaker age associations (β = 0.002, P  = .08) compared to other configurations (β = 0.006–0.013, P  < .001). In complex models adjusting for illness severity, nurse CFS scores showed stronger mortality associations (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.45–1.66 per standard deviation) compared to FI-Lab configurations (HR range 1.19–1.29). Notably, all frailty measures showed effect sizes comparable to age (HR range 1.37–1.55 per SD). Conclusions Automated FI-Lab measures offer a reliability advantage over nurse-assessed CFS scores despite slightly lower predictive validity for mortality. Their comparable effect sizes to age suggest these automated measures capture clinically meaningful patient characteristics. This trade-off between reliability and predictive validity suggests that integrated approaches combining automated screening with targeted clinical assessment may provide optimal frailty identification in emergency settings.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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